Chapter One:
More Than Friends?


"Good-bye Mum, Dad. I'll owl you when I get to Hogwarts," Lily Evans said, hugging both her mother and father tightly. Her mother hugged back just as tightly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Rose, Lily has to get on the train. It's quarter til," her father said, nodding in the direction of the large clock that was stationed above the ticket booth at King's Cross station. Her mother let go reluctantly, and gave her daughter one final kiss on the cheek.

"Be careful Lily. Stay with Samantha and Alice as much as you can and don't go anywhere alone--especially at night," reminded her mother quickly.

"Don't worry, Mum. I'll be careful. Good-bye Daddy, Petunia," Lily said politely and Petunia nodded curtly. The two sisters hadn't gotten along very well since the day Lily left for Hogwarts, five years ago, and Lily knew that today was no exception. She knew that Petunia would always think of her as a freak.

Breaking away from her family, Lily took the barrier at a run, disappearing as a group of Muggle tourists passed by the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

When Lily emerged from the other side, a brilliant scarlet train was before her. She checked her watch quickly and found that she still had twelve minutes until the train left. Boarding the train, Lily hoisted her trunk up the steps, trying not to lose her grip.

After a few minutes, she found that her trunk was too heavy. Sweaty and frustrated, she groaned and tried to heave the trunk up the steps again.

"Need help, Lily?" came a voice from behind her. She looked up to see Amos Diggory standing behind her, his hand held out. Grasping it, Lily allowed the older boy to help hoist her up off the floor of the train.

"Thank you Amos. I really appreciate it," she said breathlessly. He smiled at her and pulled her heavy trunk up the steps with graceful ease. He set it down on the corridor floor with a dull thud, and whipped out his wand.

"Locomotor trunk!" he said, levitating the trunk with relative ease. Lily smiled again, and couldn't help but stare into the older boy's silvery-grey eyes.

"Tell me, where's your compartment?" he asked nicely, and she pointed down the corridor.

"My friends and I always sit in the third compartment on the left side of this corridor," she explained, and he nodded. Only then did she notice the badge gleaming on his chest.

"I didn't know that you'd made Head Boy!" she exclaimed, and he beamed with pleasure. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Lily. I see that you made Gryffindor Prefect. Well done," he said, nodding towards the scarlet and gold badge gleaming on the front of her muggle shirt.

"Thanks. Well, this is my compartment," she said, sliding the door open. Samantha and Alice both gave her curious looks at the sight of Diggory. Little did she know that someone else was watching the two from across the hall.

~*~*~

"I don't get why the girls like Diggory so much. He's such a pretty boy!" complained Sirius Black from the compartment across from Lily's.

James Potter snapped to attention and followed his best friend's gaze across the hall. His lips curled in distaste at the sight of Diggory helping Lily Evans with her trunk.

"You know Sirius, that's a good question. Why don't you go and ask Evans what she thinks about the subject?" James sneered unhappily. Remus looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow at James curiously

"Prongs, what's the problem? It's just Evans," Sirius said as James sat back down across from him. James scowled at him again, and Sirius felt confused.

"James, what's wrong?" asked Remus, marking the page in his book and putting it back into his bag. James sighed before answering.

"Evans. She's the only problem I have at the moment." he said, looking again across the corridor, where Amos Diggory was just coming out of Lily's compartment.

"I thought you didn't like her, James. What happened?" squeaked Peter Pettigrew, who was sitting across from Remus. The mousy boy was a bit stupid, and he'd always worshipped the ground that James and Sirius walked on.

"It's too complicated for you to understand, Wormtail. Let's just say that I don't dislike her," James said, and sure enough, Peter looked utterly confused. Remus checked his watch and abruptly stood up, picking his bag up off the floor.

"I have to go to the Head's compartment for a meeting," he said quietly, touching the Prefect badge fondly.

"Okay, we'll see you later Moony. Make sure you take notice of who the Slytherin Prefects are, okay?" Sirius reminded him. It wouldn't be the best idea to prank the Prefects from Slytherin, as they could give detentions.

"Alright," Remus said, slidding open the compartment door. When he closed the compartment door, he ran right into Lily Evans.

~*~*~

As soon as Amos Diggory left the compartment, Samantha started in on Lily. Lily had expected this. Samantha always had to know exactly what was going on in everyone's lives.

"So, Lily, what's happening with Diggory?" Samantha asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively. Lily felt her face burn, and she knew that she'd turned a crimson color.

"I-It was nothing. He just helped me with my trunk. I could barely lift it, let alone carry it all the way here," she explained, and Samantha looked slightly disappointed.

"What did you have in there that's making it so heavy?" asked Alice, indicating the trunk.

"Well, I have all of my books--and remember, I'm taking several subjects--and my robes, my dress robes, my cauldron, all of my Potions supplies, extra Potions supplies just in case, extra quills, parchment, and ink, plus extra books on Charms and Potions," Lily rattled off, and Alice's and Samantha's eyes grew wide.

"No wonder it's so heavy. Why so much stuff?" asked Samantha, and Lily giggled.

"Well, I have to have everything I need, just in case. Anything could happen," Lily said. She noticed that Samantha's eyes had wandered over to the compartment across the hall where Potter and Black were talking heatedly inside their compartment.

"Sirius Black is so handsome," sighed Samantha, a dreamy look in her eyes. Lily giggled and accidently snorted into her hand.

"Personnally, I think that Frank Longbottom is cute," replied Alice, blushing furiously. Lily couldn't giggle at that--Frank Longbottom was one of the best students in their year, along with Alice. Sirius Black, however, was a different story.

"Frank is perfect for you Alice. But Sirius Black is just as bad as James Potter, Samantha! He's arrogant, inconsiderate, a player--"

"--handsome, cute, athletic--"

"--troublemaking, mean, rude, a total pig--"

"--always willing to give a girl a chance--"

"--and just as bad as Potter!"

"I don't get it, Lily. You can always try ignoring James. I'm sure that would work to the best of your advantage," retorted Samantha.

"Have you ever tried to ignore Potter? It doesn't work! He's always been on my tail, making fun of me since first year. Remember that time in second year when he gave me a cat's tail? I had to spend two weeks in the hospital wing, for heaven's sake!" hissed Lily. Samantha looked down at her feet and immediately felt bad.

"Look, I'm sorry Lily. I didn't mean to upset you, you know that. I was merely suggesting that you leave James Potter out of your mind for a while. You know that he stresses you out majorly."

Alice nodded, agreeing with Samantha. Everyone knew that James Potter had been harassing Lily Evans since their first year at Hogwarts. Both remembered all too well the time he'd given her a cat's tail. With a spare bit of Polyjuice Potion from a Potions class demonstration slipped into Lily's pumpkin juice --activated with a cat hair--she'd been given a beautiful rusty-colored cat tail in front of the entire school at the Halloween feast.

Lily checked her watch and gasped. She was going to be late for the Prefect meeting!

"I have to go you guys--I have a meeting in the Head's compartment. I'll be back and we can talk later," she said, grabbing some robes from her trunk and slipping them on quickly. Picking up her bag, she said good-byes again and slipped out, running right into Remus Lupin.

"Hello, Remus. Gryffindor Prefect?" she asked, nodding towards his badge.

"Hello, Lily. And yes, Gryffindor Prefect. What about you? I don't see a badge," he said, slight disappointment in his voice. Quickly, Lily pulled the badge off of her muggle shirt and attached it to her robes neatly.

"I'm Prefect too," she began as they headed towards the Head's compartment. "I just changed into my robes and forgot to move my badge, that's all."

"Oh." he said quietly. There was an awkward silence, and neither spoke the rest of the way to the compartment. Thankfully, they weren't the only ones to arrive late.

Sliding open the door, Lily and Remus slipped inside the compartment. Amos smiled at Lily, and Remus noticed that he smiled back.

"Well, it looks like that's everyone," he said as the Ravenclaw Prefects entered the compartment. Lily looked around at the familiar faces and found that Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy had been named Prefects for Slytherin. Hufflepuff was represented by Agatha Diggory (Amos's younger sister) and Samuel Smith. Ravenclaw was represented by Cera Boot and Daniel Corner. The Head Girl was Annabelle Dumas.

"Alright, everyone, let's get down to business. First things first, you all have to know the basics--patrolling the halls, docking points, assigning detentions, and who to report to if you see anything that's out of the ordinary. You all will patrol two nights a week and will be assigned to different parts of the castle. If you are unable to patrol one night, speak to either myself, the Head Girl, or Professor Dumbledore. You can only dock points from your own house, and you can't add more points.When assigning detention, speak to the offender's head of house or the headmaster to have them decide the proper detention night and work. As for seeing anything out of the ordinary, report it all to Professor's Dumbledore or McGonnagal," he finished with a flourish, and a few of the Prefects looked at him stupidly.

Lily's head swam with all of the information. All of it was crammed into her head at once, and Lily tried to keep it all straight. Glancing over at Remus, she noticed that he'd taken note of everything Amos had just said, and he was extremely calm. Shaking her head, she again turned her attentions to Amos.

"Alright, are there any questions? Any questions at all?" he asked, looking around the compartment. Samuel Smith raised his hand and Amos nodded at him.

"Why can't we dock points from other houses? What if they really deserve it?" he asked, looking nastily at the Slytherins.

"Because the headmaster feels that some students might dock points unnecessarily. Any other questions?" he asked. Nobody raised their hands and Amos clapped his together.

"Alright then, you are all free to go back to your compartments. I'll tell you the passwords to your Dormitories once I find out myself from the Headmaster."

Everyone stood up to exit the compartment, but as Lily tried to leave, Amos took ahold of her hand. She turned around and realized that everyone had left the compartment.

"Lily, I have a question I'd like to ask you," he started quietly. Lily nodded and both sat down, Amos sitting across from her.

"Go ahead." she said, and he nodded nervously.

"Well, I know it's really soon, but would you like to go into Hogsmeade with me? The first trip is the third week of September," he asked quickly, rushing the question. Lily was in awe. Amos Diggory wanted to go out with her? Lily Evans?

"Umm...I really don't know what to say. Can I get back to you?" she asked uncertainly, and Amos nodded.

"Go ahead and think about it--but remember that the trip is in three weeks." he reminded her and she nodded.

"I'll talk to you later?" she asked.

"You'd better." he said, winking at her.

"I will, don't worry." she said, shouldering her bag and opening the compartment door. Closing it behind her, she sighed contently. Amos Diggory, the handsomest boy in seventh year, just asked her out!

Just wait until I tell Samantha about this! she thought, heading back to her compartment.

~*~*~

"So Evans is the other Prefect, Moony?" James asked Remus, trying not to sound too desperate for information. Again Remus raised his eyebrows at James, not sure what his best friend was getting at.

"What do you care, James?" asked Sirius, tossing Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans into the air and catching them in his mouth. Peter applauded excitedly each time he got one, and it was starting to annoy James.

"I don't. Now stop that before Wormtail wets himself," he said, slumping in his seat.

"Au contrair. I believe you do care if Evans is the other Prefect," countered Sirius, setting his container of candy aside and standing up in front of James. He turned his gaze over to Lily's compartment and scowled as James had earlier saying, "Evans. She's the only problem I have at the moment."

The imitation was funnily over exaggerated, and both Peter and Remus laughed loudly at the expression on James' face while his best and oldest friend impersonated him.

"Very funny, Padfoot. NOT." he said, sinking further down on the seat, his arms folded over his chest. Yet, Sirius' question lingered in his mind, repeating over and over, haunting him.

"What do you care, James?"

~*~*~

"Samantha, you are never going to believe who just asked me out!" Lily burst out, closing the compartment door behind her. Samantha sat at attention, racking her brain for any possible boy. Instantly, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Don't tell me you finally said yes to James Potter?" she asked, her blue eyes sparkling. Lily made a face, and Samantha immediately regretted saying the despised boy's name.

"Ew, no. I'll never say yes to James Edgar Potter," she said defiantely. "Amos Diggory asked me to go into Hogsmeade with him on the first trip!"

"No!" her friends squealed in unison.

"Yes!" Lily said happily. Alice and Samantha both squealed again, and this time Lily joined them.

"He's only the handsomest boy in seventh year!" said Samantha, hugging Lily tightly.

"I know. But I haven't answered him yet. I told him that I would get back with him," she admitted and Samantha looked shocked.

"Why didn't you just say yes?" her friend asked, obviously surprised.

"Well, I didn't want to seem desperate or anything. I'll tell him later that I'll go with him," she reassured her friend. Samantha let out a gleeful laugh and began to giggle.


"What?" asked Alice. Her friend began to calm down quickly, and--being the chatterbox she'd always been--said, "You're going to make James so jealous!" Then, Samantha resumed her giggling, while Lily sat, open-mouthed.

"I can't believe you'd say such a thing!" she said, swatting her friend with a rolled up bit of parchment jokingly.

The three girls collapsed into laughter, and the rest of the train ride passed relatively uneventfully, the only entertainment being Samantha doing exaggerated impressions of James and Sirius.

Before they knew it, the train had stopped and they were pulling out their hats and robes for the feast. Lily rubbed an invisible bit of dust off of her Prefect badge just as they were leaving their compartment.

"Really, Lily, why do you have to shine it? It's just going to get dirty again anyway, and it's not like McGonnagal is going to inspect the damn thing," Samantha was groaning.

"Still, I want to look presentable, just in--" Lily started, but not watching where she was going, bumped into someone roughly.

"I'm so sorry, I--" she started, picking her hat up off the ground. Just as she was standing, she heard an all-too-familiar voice say, "It's my fault, really."

"Potter," she said formally, glaring at her despised classmate.

"Evans," he said in an equally formal tone of voice.

"Do you two mind speeding this up? We're all dying of hunger back here, and the sooner we all get to the castle, the sooner we can eat!" shouted Sirius from behind the two. Only then did Lily realize that they were blocking the corridor.

Giving James one last glare, she and her friends left the train, Alice giving Lily comprehensive looks. Neither said a word to her on the carriage ride up to the castle, and she was still seething from her encounter with James when they left the carriage and headed into the Great Hall.

Sitting down in her usual spot, Lily couldn't help but think that it was going to be a long year. Lily stared intently at the plate in front of her, trying to force her anger with James aside. She only looked up when Professor Dumbledore stood up before the students, his arms raised.

"Welcome students, to another year at Hogwarts! Before I can give my speech, however, I must allow Professor McGonnagal to conduct the Sorting Ceremony. Professor McGonnagal, you may procede," Dumbledore said, sitting down and allowing McGonnagal to take over. Argus Filch placed a three-legged stool in front of the staff table. It held an old, ripped, and torn hat--the Sorting hat.

Before Professor McGonnagal could begin the ceremony, the hat opened its brim wide and began to sing its traditional song for the year.

"I have a warning I must share with you-
There is something for yourselves you must do.
Remember one thousand years ago,
Because of differences,
One founder had to go.
And ever since that fateful day,
Three houses have detested the other.
But now the other house must unite with the rest
In order to defeat this enemy.
This is my warning, my protest.
Remember, this is the last time
I will warn you all.
United we stand,
Divided we fall."

The Sorting hat finished its song, and there was a spattering of confused applause. Lily thought back to all of the Sorting hat's previous songs. Never before had the hat tried to warn the students--giving advice was to be expected, but never anything like this.

"I don't get it--why should we be friends with Slytherin?" Lily heard James whisper loudly to Sirius, who nodded his head, looking over at the Slytherin table. This time, Lily had to agree. When had the Slytherins ever been polite or even civil with her? None of them ever called her by name, they'd always called her Mudblood. Shaking her head, Lily waited for McGonnagal to start the ceremony.

"When I call your name, please step forward, sit on the stool, and place the Sorting hat on your head," began McGonnagal, unrolling an extremely long scroll. The group of first years looked at one another nervously, but none said a word.

"Arleski, Erick."

A young, pale boy stepped forward and sat on the chair gracefully. The hat had barely touched his head when it yelled, "Ravenclaw!" The students clapped politely, and the young boy sat in a vacant seat at his respective table quickly.

The sorting continued on dully, as usual. A few students were sorted into Gryffindor, and Lily began to lose track of the faces. When the last student (Thomas, Arthurius) was sorted into Gryffindor, Dumbledore again stood up.

"Welcome to all. There are a few reminders I have for all of the students. Please remember that the Forbidden Forest is just that, Forbidden. Students found entering the Forest will automatically recieve a week's detention and also lose their house fifty points. These measures are taken to ensure that all students remain safe on Hogwarts grounds. We want to protect you. Also, new items have been added to the list of items forbidden in the corridors. Please check the list--it is posted on Mr. Filch's office door. There are only two other words I wish to share with you: Tuck In!" the legendary headmaster said, opening his arms widely. In an instant, the golden plates on all of the tables filled with food and the aromas wafted through the hall.

Lily began filling her plate with all of her favorite things, but making sure not to take too much--she hated it when people watched her eat. As she was ladling gravy over her mashed potatoes, she looked over at James Potter and Sirius Black. Both had already filled their plates to overflowing, and were shoveling large amounts into their mouths, each trying to outdo the other. Lily felt her stomach lurch as James let mashed potatoes dribble down his chin. She swung her gaze over to Remus, who only shook his head.

"That is so gross, James. You're eating like an infant!" exclaimed Samantha upon following Lily's gaze. James just smiled, but Sirius swallowed his mouthful and looked over at James laughingly.

"Jeez, James. That is so gross. You're eating like an infant!" he mimicked, and Samantha shot an angry glare at him.

"You are just as bad, Sirius Arthur Black!" she said loudly, and Sirius looked at her innocently.

"Who, me?" he asked innocently, grinning at her widely before resuming his meal. Samantha just shook her head, and Lily felt like laughing out loud. Sirius shot Lily a look of surprise.

"I would have thought that what I said would offend you, Evans. Why the laughter?" he asked. James had stopped eating and was paying close attention to the conversation between the two. Sirius smiled inwardly--he was right, James did like Lily!

"You did offend me with your eating habits, Sirius Black. I was laughing at what Samantha said," she retorted cooly, and it was James's turn to laugh. He snorted into his roasted chicken, and Sirius threw him a dirty look.

"Why are you laughing, James?" he asked innocently, and James's face burned red.

"I-I thought what s-she s-s-said was funny," he stammered, feeling his face burn. He tried not to look at Lily, but she was sitting right in front of him, a confused look on her face as she looked at both boys suspiciously. Sirius felt satisfied--he knew he'd hit a soft spot with James, and Lily was none the wiser.

"Thank you, Potter. I think," Lily said before turning back to Samantha and Alice. Samantha shot a look of surprise at Sirius, then she herself went back to their conversation.

"I wonder what Sirius's problem is," Lily wondered aloud, and Alice shook her head.

"I have no idea what is wrong with those boys today," she said, looking around the table distractedly. Lily and Samantha knew that Alice was searching for Frank Longbottom, the smartest boy in their year. Alice had fancied him for about two years now, and Lily thought that they would make a rather cute couple if they ever got together.

"Do you see Frank?" Samantha asked Alice quietly. Alice nodded, her cheeks turning red. Lily followed her gaze and saw Frank, talking quietly with Remus Lupin intently. She turned back to Alice and smiled.

"He is so dreamy," whispered Alice quietly. Samantha and Lily giggled and Alice came out of her reverie.

"Stop that, you two. You'll get his attention and I don't want him to see me staring at him," Alice chastised gently. Lily stopped giggling and instead looked around the Great Hall, searching for the familiar face of Amos Diggory. Finally, she saw him, seated behind James Potter at his house table.

"There he is," she breathed, looking at Amos dreamily. Samantha just said,
"Stop staring at him, Lily!"

When James heard Lily's name, he looked up, wiping his mouth on a napkin before doing so. Lily seemed to be staring right at him, and James felt confused. Lily couldn't stand the sight of him normally. Looking around, James only saw Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Frank Longbottom sitting on either side of him. Turning around in his seat, he saw the object of Lily's attentions--Amos Diggory. Involuntarily, James felt his stomach tie itself in knots and his fists tighten. Nobody, not even Lily, noticed that anything was wrong with him, and he went back to his dinner reluctantly. Cutting up his chicken, he imagined that the meat was Amos Diggory's face, tearing it apart with vengeance.

Finally, when the last of the food from their dinner was faded from the plates, they filled again--this time with desserts. Plates were piled high with cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and dishes of ice cream sat drizzled with chocolate, treacle pudding and fudge very few feet. Lily had little appetite left and ate only a few cookies. James didn't eat much dessert either. He still had Amos Diggory on his mind. How could Lily like him? he asked himself.

Sighing, James thought that it didn't matter. She never liked him, and he didn't like her. It was Evans for crying out loud! Shaking his head, James waited for the others to finish.

"You know, I think I will say yes. I mean, it's kind of short notice, but I'd really like to go into Hogsmeade with him. He's really nice, not to mention smart," Lily was saying, and James tried not to be too obvious in his listening in.

"I think it's a great idea. Amos must like you, since he asked you out," Samantha was saying. James felt his stomach clench tightly again. So that was who she was going out with.

"Do you think that Sirius will ask me to Hogsmeade?" James heard Samantha whisper to Lily. Lily shrugged her shoulders, uncertain. Sirius Black was always impossible to predict.

"Personnally, I think that Alice and Frank should go together. They would make the perfect couple," Lily was saying quietly. James continued to pretend not to hear, but his brain was racing with the information he'd just overheard. He couldn't wait to tell Sirius and Frank that the girls fancied them!

Just as James was thinking these thoughts, the plates cleared once again, and Dumbledore stood up. He waited patiently for the students to quiet down and grasped their attention rather quickly.

"Thank you. Now, I would like for the Prefects to lead the first years to their respective houses. Please ask the Head Boy and Girl about passwords. Everyone have a nice rest--classes start tomorrow," Dumbledore finished before sitting back down. Lily stood up and walked around the table towards Diggory. James also stood up abruptly, but exited the hall quickly--he didn't want to see the two of them together.

"What's the password, Amos?" she asked him, and he looked a bit disappointed.

"The password to Gryffindor Tower is Cockroach Cluster," he said dully, trying to turn away from her. However, as he turned away, she grabbed ahold of his arm.

"What?" he asked, looking down into her bright emerald eyes.

"Yes, I'll go into Hogsmeade with you," she said, smiling sweetly, her green eyes dancing with happiness. He felt a grin tugging at his face.

"That's great! How about we discuss the details tomorrow?" he said, and she nodded. She walked towards Remus feeling as if she were floating on a cloud. Dreamily, she told him the password, and they started to round up the first years, leading them out of the hall and towards Gryffindor Tower. Remus barely looked at her, having overheard her conversation with Amos. He figured that was why James left the Great Hall so quickly.

As they approached the Fat Lady, she said, "Password?"

"First years, remember the password as best as you can. If you have trouble, or can't remember at all, ask a friend or one of us," Remus said kindly to the scared-looking first years.

"The password is cockroach cluster," Lily said, finally coming out of her reverie. The Fat Lady nodded and swung open to reveal the portrait hole. Remus and Lily allowed the first years to go in first, and when they entered, the younger students were looking around in awe.

"This is the Common room. Most of your study time will probably be spent here. The boys dormitories are up the staircase on the left, girls the same on your right," Remus explained patiently. A few of the younger students nodded their heads to incline that they understood what he meant, then they all proceded up the respective staircases to find their beds.

Lily plopped down on the couch in front of the fire, exhausted. Today had been a long and eventful day, full of surprises and fun. Remus sat down on the same couch a little ways down from her. She was looking at the fire intently, and he was the first to break the awkward silence.

"So, I hear you're going to Hogsmeade with Amos Diggory," he said quietly, and Lily looked at him, surprised.

"Yes...where did you hear that?" she asked suspiciously. She was slightly afraid to find out--Potter might have found some way to humiliate her because of it. Remus--figuring out what she was thinking--smiled, his eyes twinkling.

"I was standing right there when you told Amos yes," he said simply and Lily looked relieved.

"Oh. I was afraid that James would try to do something--you know how he loves to humiliate me," Lily said, picking an imaginary bit of lint off her robes. Remus looked over at her, remembering all of the times that James had picked on her. It never failed; James had somehow always managed to humiliate her in ways that no other person could.

"I definately understand why your cautious. James has always managed to humiliate you in ways no other person could dream. Actually, I think the only person he enjoys humiliating more it Severus Snape," Remus said, shifting his gaze from Lily to the fire burning brightly and warmly in the fireplace.

"That is so true," agreed Lily, a look of disdain and disgust disturbing her delicate features. The way James had teased her and shown no mercy to her feelings had always aggravated her immensely. The only thing he'd never done was call her by the name the Slytherins felt was best--Mudblood. James had never dared insult her like that, oh no. But he'd always managed to do something worse. Giving her a cat's tail was one of the small-scale things he'd done.

One time, in their third year, he'd somehow managed to get his hands on some more Polyjuice potion. He and Sirius had managed to get a few of Lily's hairs and had taken the potion on the hour all day, making it look as if Lily were skipping classes and running around the school, wrecking havoc. Finally, just before dinner, Professor McGonnagal saw James running by her room, still looking like Lily. However, his hour was nearly up, and he hadn't taken the potion again, and when she stopped him to give him a stern lecture on running in the halls, he began to transform back into his original self.

All in all, he and Sirius ended up receiving two week's worth of detentions with McGonnagal. Of course, Lily still felt violated by what they had done. It wasn't ethical to do something like that. Lily wondered to this day how James had come by the Polyjuice Potion in both cases.

"If it helps any, I never take part in his scemes to humiliate you--it's always him and Sirius," Remus said truthfully, and Lily looked a bit grateful.

"Well, it's nice to know that one of the Marauders doesn't hate me completely," she said, smiling at Remus.

"Oh, I doubt that James hates you," Remus said slyly, looking at her for a reaction.

"Should I go by the third grade approach?" she asked, remembering her primary school years.

"Third grade? What's that?" he asked, looking intrigued. Lily laughed lightly.

"It's Muggle schooling. You start in kindergarten and then you have first through twelfth grades," she explained as simply as she could.

"Oh, I see. And what's the third grade approach?" he asked again, looking a bit weary.

"It's nothing bad. My mother always says that when a boy picks on you, it means he likes you. She calls it the third grade approach because only third graders behave in that manner," Lily explained, and Remus finally understood everything.

James doesn't pick on Lily because he doesn't like her--he picks on her because he does! Remus thought, his mind racing. It all made perfect sense now--how James was acting on the train, why he always seems eager to pick on Lily, why she was always on the top of his so-called "hit list."

"I guess it makes sense," he said quietly, and once again, silence fell in the room. Remus didn't mind though; he had a lot to think about. Only when he heard Sirius, Peter, and James slip into the Common room, did he come out of his reverie.

"I'm telling you, Prongs, I heard her say it," protested James heatedly. Sirius seemed to be enjoying tormenting James, and Peter hung back nervously, not choosing sides as usual.

"And I'm telling you that it's impossible for her to have--" began Sirius. He stopped abruptly when he saw Remus and Lily sitting on the couch, the latter of which oblivious to the conversation between the two best friends. Before James could retort and say something stupid, Sirius elbowed him in the ribs--hard.

"Ow! What did you do that for! I didn't--" said James, rubbing his ribcage. He followed Sirius's gaze and saw Lily. He tried to keep Sirius from seeing him blush, but it was impossible. Sirius gave him an interested look, then shrugged it off. He had always had the idea that James fancied Lily--but he never asked James about it. He knew that in time, James himself would see what was happening. The right moment for Lily and James would come.


A/N: C'mon guys...please review!

Okay, enough of that. I guess that all I really want to say is that if you like this story, check out my other one, Love Always, Ginny. I know I haven't updated in quite a while but I have been extremely busy for the past few months. After I take finals, expect to see a little surprise waiting for you! (I will say no more!)